Reed says Als’ roster ‘not a mess’ despite plans for drastic overhaul
When he was head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos, Kavis Reed arguably was too devoted to some of his veterans. But as he enters his second season as the Alouettes’ general manager, that philosophy is about to change drastically.
“The time has come to overhaul this roster,” Reed told the Montreal Gazette after he and president Patrick Boivin met the media on Saturday, not long after players had emptied their lockers at Olympic Stadium following a disastrous 3-15 season that included 11 consecutive defeats to end the year.
And yet, Reed said the state of the franchise is not as bleak as it appears. “It’s not a mess,” he emphatically stated.
“If we restarted the season, knowing what I know now and with the exact same people, we’d probably have a better outcome. There are decisions I could have made that would have tweaked the outcome.”
The Als were 3-8 in September when head coach Jacques Chapdelaine and defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe were fired. While Reed spoke glowingly about Chapdelaine the person, the two had divergent philosophies and clashed over personnel decisions, systems and structure.
Reed said there will be a minimum 30 per cent turnover in personnel based on a 69-player team, including those who are injured or on the practice roster. He said the secondary needs to be revamped, while there must be improvement and more explosiveness at defensive tackle. Reed wants taller defensive backs who are capable of making plays.
Surprisingly, Reed said only minor changes need to be made to an offence that scored a Canadian Football League-low 314 points in 18 games and ended the season being shut out 33-0 at Hamilton. And while the quarterback situation needs to be addressed, Reed remains high on rookies Matthew Shiltz and Antonio Pipkin and he didn’t rule out the return of Darian Durant.
Whether it’s Durant, Drew Willy or someone else, there will be a veteran quarterback on the roster in 2018. If it’s Durant, he probably will be forced to restructure his $400,000 annual salary. Should he balk, he’ll probably be released.
“I’m not embarrassed by the decision (to trade for) Darian. It’s very easy to blame him because he’s the quarterback,” Reed said. “Darian will tell you he’s not happy with his performance. And we expected more. But we have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.”
The receivers dropped too many passes, Durant operated behind an offensive line that endured its share of injuries and there were glaring weaknesses in the offensive system designed by Chapdelaine.
Dropped passes in particular could well mean Ernest Jackson is finished as an Alouette after one season. One of the team’s prized free-agent additions, he didn’t live up to his potential. But Chapdelaine also didn’t play him close enough to the ball.
Reed’s first order of business will be to hire a new head coach by mid-December, he said. Reed could pluck someone with CFL, NFL, NCAA or even Canadian university experience. Don’t be surprised if Paul LaPolice, Corey Chamblin, Marcel Bellefeuille and Rich Stubler are on his radar.
The Als will likely touch base with Université Laval head coach Glen Constantin. Another name to keep in mind is former CFL QB Tom Clements. He was an NFL assistant from 1997-2016, most recently Green Bay’s assistant head coach. He also coached and played at Notre Dame, which would make him a favourite with owner Robert Wetenhall.
“A strong person that knows how to bring people together, develop talent and a locker-room,” Reed explained. “It’s critically important ... to have a teacher with the mindset of developing. I want a head coach who will be the general in the locker-room.”
While Chapdelaine’s assistants will be interviewed by the new coach — Anthony Calvillo, who inherited the offensive co-ordinator’s role for a third time is likely to be retained — there will be drastic changes to the staff. Diversity in the coaching staff is also crucial, Reed noted.
“We need a more diverse coaching staff that can identify with every player in the locker-room, so we have the opportunity to grow and develop these guys,” Reed said. “Identify and see issues because they’ve experienced it. We want assistants who are teachers, who can relate to the players.
“We have to be open to making changes where we feel changes are needed.”
Reed wants the team to become younger. That means linebackers Kyries Hebert and Chip Cox, the latter a potential free agent, could be on tenuous footing. It’s possible Cox and slotback Nik Lewis will be offered positions within the organization. And while veteran rushend John Bowman is expected to retire, he would be welcomed back. Bowman might reconsider, not wanting to end his career as part of the worst Als team in franchise history.
If we restarted the season, knowing what I know now and with the exact same people, we’d probably have a better outcome.